What should the core purpose of science education be?
We began by asking teachers what they felt was the core purpose of science education. They responded by saying it was multi-faceted, and could broadly be summarized as the process of delivering against the following four criteria:
01
Inspire learners to engage with science.
First and foremost, respondents described the need to promote and instil an interest in science in order to fully engage learners.
02
Teach underpinning scientific concepts.
Having generated interest in science, participants described the need to teach core scientific concepts and principles which underpin success in science.
03
Teach skills to enable effective experimentation.
Building on solid foundations in scientific concepts and theory, respondents then described needing to teach students the skills required to conduct practical science through experimentation.
04
Help learners to achieve a range of desirable outcomes through science.
Having developed science skills, teachers hope that their learners will be better placed to succeed in a world permeated by science.
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